


Red, Blue, and Gold

by NatashaRedFox



Category: Chernobyl (TV 2019)
Genre: Chernobyl (TV 2019) References, Desire, F/M, Redemption, Sad and Happy, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28156158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaRedFox/pseuds/NatashaRedFox
Summary: This is based on another work, which was based on fan art of mine, involving the lovely Paul Ritter as Anatoly Dyatlov. It is set a day or two afterwards, and is seen from her perspective.I have had writer's block for over 3 years now, and this is the first writing sincd then that isn't factual, so please be kind!I'm using this as a sort of practice for the Chernobyl new year challenge
Relationships: Anatoly Dyatlov/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3
Collections: The Dyat Love Collection!





	1. The colours of the day

She looked down at the patient in the bed. So much blood. To be honest, it looked worse than it was. The young construction worker would be fine, albeit with scars on the left side of his body, and one on his forehead. He was lucky not to lose that eye, whatever cut him had just missed it. As one of the medical officers at the power plant, accidents of this kind were rare, but units 5 and 6 were under construction. This man had fallen from some scaffolding. There were others with minor injuries, but this one was the most severe.

Having finished the sutures, she stood and went to the sink near the bed, to change gloves and mask, and clean up a little before continuing to treat the patient. A strand of red hair came loose from her hat, she absently brushed it away and glanced out of the small window to the waiting room. Her heart quickened, and for a brief moment blue eyes met blue. _Oh no, not him too_ she thought. _Please don't let him be hurt!_

She went back to her patient. He was a little more at ease now he wasn't bleeding profusely and the painkillers had kicked in. He was going to be transferred to Pripyat hospital, there was no doubt that the leg was broken, and most likely some cracked ribs too. She sat down to write notes, trying not to look towards the waiting room. Towards that man. The man who she was drawn to in a way she could not understand. Like a moth to a flame. She didn't know what came over her a couple of days ago. It had been the Christmas party, although he had been working. She just happened to see him in a corridor, he probably hadn't even noticed he was under some mistletoe. She certainly did, grabbed him from behind, and acted on something that had happened so many times in her fantasies. She had only meant to give him a couple of quick innocent kisses on the cheeks, but in the dark she had got his lips too and... he started responding! Surely she hadn't imagined that? It had certainly taken her by the most pleasant surprise!

Her patient moaned and tried to sit up, distracting her from the memory. "Lie still" she said in her distinctive voice, firm, but soothing. The sudden jerky movement had set one of the wounds bleeding again. She sighed, gestured to the nurse to return the kit, and pulled on some clean gloves. As she patched up the patient, she thought back to the cupboard. Although he had been shocked at first, it had been amazing. In the cold light of day though, she knew she had overstepped the boundaries and worried that if he ever found out it was her, he'd demand she be fired. He wasn't known to be forgiving or kind. She had heard different opinions on his character, some said he was harsh, unpleasant, and arrogant, some said he was just coldly professional and strict. Either way, it didn't sound good for her if he found out. She sighed again, sadly. There was no way he could know it was her, she had grabbed him from behind, it had been dark in that cupboard, and she'd left him in there and ran around a corner and into a bathroom before he could see.

Having finished with the wound, she got up again to put the soiled gloves in the biohazard bin and wash. She risked another glance through the window. This time we was looking down. The sun shone through the window, bathing him in a soft golden glow. Her heart raced again. He was beautiful! People referred to him as unattractive. She could not understand why. How could they not see the beauty in this man? And his eyes, oh my god, his eyes! He had some of the most expressive eyes she had ever seen. Did the others never look? Yes, he had the icy, piercing stares but sometimes, when he thought nobody was looking, they had a haunted look or a heartbreakingly sad gaze. When she saw those, she just wanted to hold him and somehow make him feel better. At the moment he had a look she had never seen before. It was something softer, but slightly puzzled, as he looked down at the floor. Oh how she wished she could have seen the expression in his eyes in that cupboard.

She finished washing her hands and turned away, towards a nurse who was telling her that the ambulance had arrived for the patient. As he was wheeled out, she remembered the soft lips contrasting with the roughness of the moustache, and the surprisingly tender hands on her waist. How she wished they could have stayed in there, but reality had to come knocking. There was sadness in her own eyes now. She shook herself out of the reminiscence, removed her mask, and realised she needed to change out of this blood stained uniform. She headed for the changing room and turned to close the door. She looked up, and eyes connected again. Just before the door closed, blue met blue.


	2. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt to help out, while mentally exploring her growing feelings

She was seeing red. Literally. She was hiding behind a large Soviet flag, in an empty office. She had made sure that there were some empty offices nearby, in case she needed to hide. She hadn't expected go need to do so, but she believed in being prepared. She didn't expect to be using it, she hadn't planned to take that photo. It was a spur of the moment thing. How could she not? She needed a permanent record of that unexpected, heart-stoppingly beautiful smile.

The colour red seemed to mark the past week or so. From the red of the lipstick she wore to the Christmas party when she made THAT move, the red of the blush it could bring when she thought back to it, the red of the blood of the injured construction worker a couple of days later, the endless red tape with the paperwork regarding the accident, the red lock of her hair when she saw the blue eyes of Anatoly Dyatlov in that ray of golden sunlight. 

She figuratively saw red while she was up in the typing pool, with those silly women who were incompetent to the point that she didn't understand how they still had jobs. She had long realised they were useless and had been doing the paperwork did the infirmary herself, for things that didn't have to go through the official channels. The case of the injured builder had to be done in an official capacity, and she happened to be there when they were laughing about comrade Dyatlov. They hated him! And from what she could see, they hated him only for the fact that he wanted them to do their jobs properly! Surely that's the very least they should be doing! When she heard them planning to leave some work for a presentation of his to the very last minute, and do it well enough so as not to arouse suspicion, but just badly enough to make him look unprofessional, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

She would do it for him, as she did the reports for the infirmary. She couldn't make a habit of it, after all, she had her own job to do, but she could do this one for him. She would do it secretly, she had no intention of letting him know. She genuinely wanted to help him. And try to make up for the red lipstick marks. Yes, she'd heard some sniggering about that and she felt bad. It was the one thing she regretted about the cupboard incident. Well, that, and perhaps leaving so soon!

She managed to get the first draft done and into his pigeon hole with no risk of being seen, but with the second draft she had heard footsteps and had dashed around the corner out of sight. It was him! That's when she saw that smile.

She had always wondered what he looked like when he smiled, but she hadn't been prepared for the reality. Her breath had caught in her throat, and her legs had turned to jelly. It was dazzling! His expression softened and his whole face lit up, as though he had an inner glow. And she had caused it! Emotions got the better of her, and she took the photo and ran. Which is how she found herself in her current hiding place.

She heard footsteps follow, but he never found her. She came out from behind the red flag and sat down by the window, waiting for her racing heartbeat to slow. She was completely captivated by this man. She'd always had a thing for him, but after the past few days, that had grown into something else. Something completely unexpected. That smile had been like golden sunlight warming the seed that had been growing. As for the cupboard, that had been red hot passion! Although hesitant at first, he had soon warmed up, taking her breath away. As if he was a wild animal, and primal instinct had taken over. At one point, she thought he was going to devour her! And oh, how she had wanted him to do so!

She stood up from her resting place. Enough time had passed for him to be long gone. She tucked her hair up under a hat, just to be safe. Perhaps she should have done that from the start. And she made a mental note to try to stop the nervous giggles. If he ever heard her, he would think her a simple minded fool. She sighed and left the room. The corridors were clear. As she made her way back to the infirmary he was the only thing on her mind. He was magnificent! It was safe to say he had her complete attention, body and soul. He made her feel things in a way she had never felt before, in an intensity she never knew possible. She admired his keen intellect. She was fascinated by the few aspects of his personality that she had seen. She adored how his eyes were so expressive. She was struck dumb by that smile! She paused. She wished there was some way to get to know him properly. She shook her head. That would probably never happen. He had never noticed her, and despite recent events, he didn't even know who she was. She felt a sharp pang of sadness rip through her pleasant daydreams as she continued on her journey. 

She arrived back at her office, went inside, and shut the door, still thinking of the beautiful man who didn't realise how beautiful he was. She sat down and forced her mind back to reality. She took out the instructions that had been left in his pigeon hole, written in red ink. Negatives to be turned into slides. She hesitated. Bringing the small camera out of her pocket, she looked at it. Hmm... Could she? Should she? Dare she? An idea was forming...


	3. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A misunderstanding, and a letter never to be sent

As she arrived at work, she heard shouting. That voice. The voice she longed to hear, albeit not in that context. She was glad she was not on the receiving end of that anger. She couldn't see what was happening, the shouting was coming from behind a closed door. She started to head away, towards the infirmary, when she made out some of the words being said. "I don't need any of these stupid games, I need people to leave me the fuck alone" was heard clearly in the hallway. Her heart froze. Was he talking about her? Did he think she was playing some kind of prank on him? A feeling of horror crawled up her spine and gripped her tight. She had started to dare to think he might reciprocate the feelings, after his response to that kiss, and the way their eyes caught in the hallway yesterday. Well, it looked like she was wrong. He obviously wanted nothing to do with her. Choking back a sob, she picked up speed, hurrying away to the infirmary. As she turned the corner on the stairs, the door opened and he came out. She briefly saw his face. It wasn't a face of anger, he looked tired and unbearably sad. She hurried out of sight before he could see her, ran down the corridor, and into a bathroom. _Oh God_ , she thought. _Did I do that to him? I never meant to do that!_ She was heartbroken by the look in those beautiful blue eyes. After a long hard cry, she tidied herself up and made her way to the infirmary. She was devastated, but tried not to let it show. _I should have known I'd never be good enough for a remarkable man like him_ , she thought to herself. _He deserves the best_. The day dragged on. It was quiet, not much to do. Nothing to distract her from this morning and her feelings. She really needed that distraction. As she finished up some paperwork, an idea occurred to her. One of her friends had once written down their feelings to someone in a letter, but instead of sending it, they burned it. "A way of getting things out of my system and getting the closure I otherwise couldn't get," they had said. It seemed a bit young and silly, not something for a woman of her age, but at this point she was willing to give it a go. She pulled out her pale blue fountain pen and began to write. _My dear Anatoly_ , she began. _I find myself writing you a letter that will never be sent. A letter you will never see._ _I wish to apologise for any hurt and anger I caused you. I want to assure you that I never intended that at all._ She paused, swallowed, and continued. _I was never playing games with you. All my feelings for you are genuine and from the heart. I have admired you for a long time. Your intelligence, your skill. Thd way you walk with such confidence. Your beautiful expressive blue eyes that hint that you're not the one dimensional villain that some people make you out as. And that smile! The smile that lights up your face like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, warming me right through to my core. You are a man of many layers and complexity, just like that perfect red rose. And you are just as beautiful._ She paused, and wiped away a tear that was threatening to escape. She bit her lip and wondered how to continue. _I apologise for overstepping the line and dragging you into that cupboard, but I cannot regret it. Not one moment. It was even more amazing than I had imagined, and I have barely been able to stop thinking about it._ She sighed. Oh how she wished she was still in there with him. _As for the notes and the slides, I truly wished to help. I know how bad those women in the typing pool are. And when I discovered they purposely leave your work to the last minute, I wanted to make things easier for you. And that rose. I thought of you the moment I saw it. I was thinking of you the whole time I was carrying it, admiring it. I placed a kiss on it before leaving it on your office._ The pale blue ink continued to flow as she wrote on. _I only ever wanted to make you happy. If the best thing I can do to make you happy is to leave you the fuck alone, I will do so. Just know that there are people who appreciate you and care for you. And if there is ever anything I can do to help you, just say the word and it will be done. You deserve the best, and you deserve to be happy. I will respectfully back away, if this is what you want_. She stopped writing. She didn't know what else to write. She folded the letter and held it up to her face. The letter that must never be sent. She couldn't burn it here, it would set off the smoke detectors. She would have to do it later, at home. She put it in her pocket, just as a nurse came in to her office without knocking. She looked up in annoyance. "Emergency in the turbine hall, unit 3" the nurse said. "A man has had a seizure and fallen." Her expression changed, she snapped into professional mode. "I'm on my way." She grabbed the emergency bag and headed down. As she neared the area, an engineer came put of a door. "Through there and to your left" he said. "And be careful, Dyatlov is in an extra foul mood today. One of the trainees and the women in the typing pool played a prank on him this morning". The man left. So it wasn't her who upset him! It was those witches upstairs! She was aware of the sense of relief flooding her, but she couldn't think about it now. There was someone in need of medical help. She rushed into the room and headed towards a small group of people. There was a man on the floor, unconscious. "Tell me what happened" she said, in a commanding, controlled voice. She noted that someone had managed to get a lab coat underneath his head. She knelt down beside him. "He just started fitting out of the blue" replied an engineer. "We wanted yo move him, but comrade Dyatlov would not allow us". She looked sharply up at the man sho had spoken. "Then it is a good job comrade Dyatlov was here. You must NEVER move someone sho is having a seizure, unless there is imminent danger from the surroundings. You will do more harm than good." She checked his pulse. Rapid, but steady. The man seemed to be coming round. "Someone help me get him into the recovery position. Gently." Someone knelt down beside her to help. It was Anatoly. They got him into position and she checked his eyes. Pupils responsive. Good. She looked up, first at Anatoly, then at the others. Any previous seizures? History of epilepsy? They shook their heads. "Any recent head injury?" Again they shook their heads. The man was waking up. She looked up again. "He will be confused and afraid as he wakes" she said. Having a group of people around him, staring at him, will make him feel even more uncomfortable. Please give him some space. Comrade Dyatlov, please stay in case I need further assistance. " The group of men hesitated. "Get back to work" said Anatoly, in a calm but commanding voice. Then, in a slightly softer tone, "We will make sure he is ok." He really does care about people she thought, pleased. He looked back at her. "What do you need me to do?" The man was trying to sit up. "Support him, slowly help him to sitting position" she replied. She turned her attention to the man. "Take it slowly. You're going to be fine " she said, in a gentle voice. "An ambulance is on its way, we'll take you down to Pripyat, get everything checked out." Suddenly, the man started fitting again. His hand jerked out, catching her and knocking her off balance, causing her fo fall and hit her head against a chair. She felt blood start to run. She saw Dyatlov place the lab coat under the man's head again, then come over to her. She gestured to the emergency bag. He grabbed it, and then she felt firm but gentle hands supporting her as she sat up. One of the other engineers was by the other man, keeping clear but keeping watch. She felt the blood being softly wiped away. "It doesn't look bad, but I can't be sure. Tell me what to do" said the soft voice next to her. "There are some antiseptic wipes in the bag" she replied. "Help me clean it up. If it is a small wound, there are plasters. If it is larger, there are some temporary sutures. I'll guide you through it if it comes to that." He followed her instructions. She winced a little at the sting of the antiseptic, but felt a shiver run through her at the tender touch of his fingers on her skin. "It's small, and the bleeding seems to be stopping" he said, looking visibly relieved. She glanced over to the man. The seizure had stopped, and the engineer had moved him back into the recovery position, and was talking to him in a reassuring manner. Another man came over. "He had alcohol issues" he said. "Could that have caused it?" It is a possibility" she replied. "He has recently given up though" the man continued. He stopped a few days ago, wendy cold turkey." She looked up sharply, causing Anatoly to put a hand on her shoulder. "Never quit alcohol cold turkey" she said in a firm voice. "That can definitely cause seizures." She relaxed a little. "Now that we know the probable cause, he can be treated and recover." That moment the paramedics came in. The engineer went off to hold the doors, leaving her alone with Anatoly. She looked at him. Blue met blue. "I'll go with them to the hospital. Maher sure he is ok, and get my head checked. He nodded. She went to stand up. He stood up first and helped her up. A warm smile automatically spread across her face as she looked at him. "Thank you comrade Dyatlov " she said, in a soft, low voice. A smile pulled at his lips too. "Let me know how you both are" he said. "I'll make sure your emergency bag gets back to you." She smiled again "I will. Thank you." She reluctantly left the support of the magnificent man and left with the paramedics and the patient. She didn't notice that at some point the letter had fallen out of her pocket. The letter that was never meant to be seen. She didn't notice the man with the sad blue eyes pick it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bit about quitting alcohol cold turkey is true. Back in 2016 a cousin of mine, an alcoholic, quit alcohol on this way. He had a seizure and was taked to hospital. While there he had another seizure, hit his head, and died from the injury. The man in this story will be fine, but stopping alcohol in this way is dangerous.


	4. Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again, but will Fomin ever shut up?

She could tell from the start that it was going to be one of those annoying days. Some inspection was going to be taking place, and the management team were in a flap. Bryukhanov was anxious but polite, Fomin was trying to pretend he was the "big man" but was actually flapping around like a headless chicken. She and her team always made sure things were up to standard in the infirmary, so they weren't too worried there. One of the remaining tasks was to check all the first aid kits and emergency medical equipment throughout the plant. Most of the areas would be covered by the more junior staff, but she was assigned to check those in the reactor buildings and control rooms. Sadly, Fomin was accompanying her.

  
They set off together and headed towards the control rooms, him talking pompously about he inspection, its importance, and his future promotion hopes, her not really listening and nodding politely at his inane chatter as though on autopilot. Does this man ever shut up? She thought to herself. 

  
They arrived at the Golden Corridor, starting at the Reactor 4 end. She was relieved when Bryukhanov unexpectedly appeared, and after a polite greeting, proceeded to talk to Fomin about something. She stood a little was away from them to give them some privacy, and gazed out of the window. On hearing a slight noise she peered around the corner and her heart began to beat a little faster. That man! The one who captured so much of her attention. The enigma of a man. The one she was so drawn to, but could not figure out his true character. He didn't notice her, he was looking at a piece of paper. He looked... she considered his expression... confused? Interested? Conflicted? Thoughtful? All of the above? It certainly had his full attention, whatever it was. Finally, he folded it up and put it into his inside jacket pocket, went into a room, and closed the door behind him.

  
She turned her attention back to the two men nearby. Their discussion was coming to an end. Bryukhanov briefly raised his hand in a goodbye, and Fomin came over to her. "Well then, where do we start?" he asked, in a patronising manner. She checked her list. "Reactor 4 backup control room" she replied. "Ah yes, of course. Come along then" he answered, in a fake jovial manner, as he walked off ahead of her. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and followed.

  
They went into the room that Dyatlov had earlier entered. He was busy checking a panel. "Ah Dyatlov, nothing wrong I hope?" Said Fomin, in a voice that clearly hoped something was indeed wrong and that it was Dyatlov's fault. He did not look happy to be interrupted. He looked around, and she could see a muscle twitching in his cheek. "Nothing wrong at all, comrade Fomin" he replied, with what sounded like forced politeness. "Doing extra checks prior to the inspection." Fomin his his disappointment at not finding anything to complain about, and spoke again, in that smug superior manner. "Yes, well you make sure everything is up to scratch, and don't mind us. Comrade Zolotenko needs to check all the medical equipment, I'm accompanying her, after all, we don't want her pressing any buttons, do we?" He gave a smug laugh. She glanced at him, feeling her eyes narrow in anger. He didn't notice because she was at behind him, and she got the impression she wasn't important enough for him to pay her much attention. She swallowed back a retort, and headed to the cupboard where the first aid equipment was kept. 

  
The balding man in the bad suit spoke again. "As you're here Dyatlov, I'll just pop out and see to a few things." His hand was hovering over the pocket containing his cigarettes. "I'm sure neither of you can cause too much havoc while I'm busy." With that, he turned and walked away. Dyatlov looked furious. After Fomin had left the room and closed the door behind him, she spoke. "Apologies for the intrusion, comrade Dyatlov. I won't be long." He sighed and shook his head. "It's not you that I have a problem with" he replied, seeming calmer now that the other man had gone. He glanced at the door again and shook his head. "Typical small man syndrome" she said. "He has to put others down in order to feel important." Dyatlov gave a small humourless laugh in agreement. "With me, he doesn't think I'm important at all, so he'll just step on me to help himself up" she continued. "With you he is threatened. He knows you're better qualified for his job than he is, so he feels the need to put you in your place." She stopped. She had said too much! She was mortified. She turned her full attention to her task in the cupboard to cover her embarrassment, completely missing Dyatlov's raised eyebrow and small smile.

  
They got on with their jobs in silence. Everything seemed to be in order with the medical equipment, apart from a few replacements in the first aid kit, so it didn't take her long. As she was packing up, a small bottle of antiseptic fell from her grasp and rolled out of he cupboard. "I've got it" she heard him say as he came into the cupboard to give it back. She smiled up at him. As he handed it over, their fingers touched. She felt a flutter run throughout her body. What's more, he wasn't pulling away! She looked up into his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, which were looking back at her. Just then, the handle of the door to the room rattled and the spell was broken. Dammit Fomin, she thought. Dyatlov moved away, although his fingers seemed to stroke hers as he did so. 

  
Fomin entered the room along with Bryukhanov. "Any trouble while I was away?" asked Fomin in his pompous manner. "Everything is fine" replied Dyatlov, in a cold, professional manner. She gave him a quick glance. His face seemed completely closed. I imagined it, she thought. It was all in my head. He was just simply handing me the bottle, nothing more. "I'm finished in here" she informed them, matter of factly. "Well then, let's get on" said Fomin. "Lots to do. I can't spend all day babysitting you." She felt a muscle twitch in her cheek. She didn't think she could cope with the company of this man for much longer. Thankfully Bryukhanov turned out to be her saviour. "She's one of our senior medical officers and completely trustworthy, she doesn't need babysitting" he told Fomin. You go get on with your important tasks. Sitnikov is around somewhere, he'll show her where the other equipment is."

  
Fomin momentarily seemed deflated, but tried to rally himself. "Ok, but remember, no pressing buttons, young lady" he said to her, in what she supposed was meant to be a joking manner but ended up sounding condescending. "I promise to not press any buttons as long as you promise not to perform any emergency surgery on anyone" she replied flippantly, and started to walk out of the room. Dyatlov turned away to the golden glow of the control panel in order to hide his amusement from Fomin. Bryukhanov laughed out loud. Fomin started to babble. "Shut up, Fomin!" laughed Bryukhanov, as she left the room. "You asked for that!"

  
At the end of a busy day, she was glad when it was time to go home. Thankfully she had not seen Fomin again. No sign of Dyatlov either. She knew she imagined that connection in the cupboard in the Golden Corridor. As she headed for the exit, she couldn't help noticing that she was in the corridor with THAT cleaning cupboard, the one she had dragged him into so that she could kiss him all those weeks ago. She sighed sadly as she passed it.

  
She was suddenly startled as a hand grabbed her arm from behind and dragged her into the cupboard. She let out a yelp of shock. The door was closed and she was in the darkness with whoever had dragged her in. Panic welled up in her until she noted the scent. His soap, his tobacco, his skin. "Anatoly?" she whispered, using his first name for the first time. In reply, his fingers came up to gently stroke her cheek. "Olena" he whispered back. She smiled, pleased that he had taken time to find out her name. She was disappointed when he pulled away. "Wait..." He flicked a switch that she hadn't known about, a light came on, encompassing them in a soft golden glow. "This time I want to see you" he murmured. 

  
He reached for her hand, and stroked her fingers like he did in the cipboard in the Golden Corridor. "I didn't imagine that then" she responded in a soft voice. "It wasn't just an accident." He smiled gently. "Not entirely an accident" he replied. "It wasn't planned, but..." He gave a small laugh. "Bloody Fomin has unfortunate timing!" She laughed too, stroking his fingers. "I wasn't sure" she whispered. "I wasn't sure how you'd respond" he admitted. "I decided to take a chance after some of the things you said. And because of this..." He let go of her hand to reach for something in his jacket pocket. The paper he had been looking at earlier? As he unfolded it her eyes widened in shock as she recognised the handwriting and the distinctive pale blue ink. Her handwriting! Her ink! The letter that was never to be sent! "Where did you get that?" she asked, in shock. It fell out of your pocket when we were dealing with the man having fits in the turbine hall" he told her. I was going to put it in your medical bag so it got back to you. I never planned to read it, but I saw my name..."

  
She stood silent, stunned. She never noticed it drop. She assumed it was somewhere in the locked drawer of her desk. He folded the letter and put it back in his pocket, then lifted his hand and tenderly turned her face back to him. "Please, tell me" he softly pleaded. "I need to know. The things you wrote, your feelings, everything in that letter, are they true?" She gazed at him. "Yes" she finally replied. "I thought that if I wrote things down and then destroyed the letter, it would be some form of closure and that the feelings would fade." She dropped her eyes. "It didn't work." "I'm glad it didn't" he smiled at her. She looked back into his eyes. They stood like that for a moment, before he slowly moved his face to hers, and placed the most gentle, tender, but uncertain kiss on her lips. She raised her fingers to his cheek, and for a moment they stood locked in each other's eyes, until a wave of emotion engulfed them and they were drawn together in a passionate embrace.

  
They kissed long and hard, her hand in his hair at the nape of his neck, her other hand around his back, pulling him to her. He had one hand cradling the back of her head, the other around her waist. They kissed with desperate need for each other, devouring each other with their hunger. His hand slipped down to her bottom, pulling her in closer. She gasped with pleasure, wrapping her arms tightly around him, wanting to be as close as possible. Oh yes, this felt right. Even better than her fantasies. Never mind chemistry, this was nuclear fusion! 

  
Their embrace slowly softened into something more gentle. "Olena Zolotenko, child of golden sunlight" he murmured, using the poetic translation of her name. "Anatoly" she sighed. A thought occurred to her. Her name meant sunlight. His name meant the east, the dawn, and therefore, the coming of the sunlight! She laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked, with a smile. "I may tell you at a future point" she replied, teasingly. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "We had better get out of here before he cleaning staff arrive, he said. Will you allow me to walk you home?" 

  
He was known for walking to and from work, but she wasn't convinced that it was a good idea this evening. "It is dark, and snowing heavily. It would be easy to get disoriented between here and the city" she said with a frown. "I've been walking this route for years, often in darkness and snow" he assured her. We will not get lost." A cheeky smile played on her lips. "It is also very cold, below zero" she said. "Are you going to warm me up afterwards?" He laughed. "Of course" he replied with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't make sure your needs were met?"

  
Laughing, hey made their way out of the cupboard, out of the building, and into the cold night air. The snow fell playfully around them. As soon as they were out of sight of the plant, they reached for each other's hands. "Tell me what you found funny in the cupboard" he asked. She smiled wickedly and did so. As they walked on towards the lights of the city, his laughter could be heard floating on the cool winter breeze.


End file.
